A Space Hotel Orbiting A Planet Near You

August, 28 2011

We've all watched shows that take place in the future like the Jetsons and Star Trek where people travel through space and live above the Earth in tiny apartments with their own robot maids. Lucky news, the future is here. Well almost.

Russia, the current leader in space travel after the U.S. retired their shuttle missions, says that a private company Orbital Technologies will complete a luxury hotel that will orbit 217 miles above the Earth in weightless space by 2016.

The Commercial Space Station, otherwise known as CSS, will be able to accommodate only seven guests at a time at a cost of around $163,000 for a five day stay. Which isn't really that bad as you can spend almost as much here on Earth at the Royal Penthouse Suite at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland at around $50,000 a night or the Ty Warner Penthouse at the Four Seasons in NY for about $35,000 a night. But that does not include your ride to your intergalactic paradise which will be provided at the small round trip cost of $800,000 by, most likely, RKK Energia.

The 1st space hotel will have four rooms and will be comfortable, but slightly cramped. The air and water will be recycled, so get used to drinking used urine, and guests will have to get used to using "space toilets" which use no water, but air to suck down the waste. Showers are going to be sealed so water doesn't escape as there will be no gravity so it would bead and float off. Dinner will be gourmetish consisting of good food, but will be prepared back on Earth ahead of time and reheated in microwave type devices. The only really bad part of the dining experience or late night Earth watching will be the no alcohol rule.

The hotel will cruise around the Earth every 90 minutes providing guests with 16 sunsets and 16 sunrises a day as well as guests having the choice of sleeping vertically or horizontally. There will be special viewing windows throughout the craft so people may look out into the heavens or down at Earth and while on board you can take part in science experiments that, who knows, could turn out to be a breakthrough.